8 comments:

How many theologians concur or conclude that Christ's request that the partaking be for His anamnêsis was equivalent to the Jewish zikkaron, and that the diners/communicants are to use the occasion to remember Jesus to His Father (as opposed to it primarily being about them reflecting on Jesus' life and death), as well as proclaim His death to His Father, so that the covenant His death effected might be "remembered" and acted upon by His Father with respect to those who have put their faith in Him? I.e., we "remember" Jesus and His Body and Blood to God, His Father, so that He will not only save us now, but will also "remember" us "on that Day."

@E: Is this your proposed take on the Lord's Supper or are you paraphrasing Markus Barth here? In any case it seems overly creative to me; or what good professor Hillers used to call a tour de force in a negative sense. - Ray

No, it's not my take on it. I'm just wondering if many scholars have picked up on this possible aspect of it. See, e.g., EUCHARIST by Louis Bouyer of the Oratory; EUCHARIST: Symbol of Transformation by William R. Crockett; and THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS OF JESUS by Joachim Jeremias. There's this short read, too: http://www.trushare.com/0109Jun04/JU04REAR.htm

I went back to my copy of Jeremias and, sure enough, he treats this in chapter 5. To draw primarily from Jeremias: "This do, that God may remember me" would mean that God remembers the Messiah in that he causes the kingdom to break in by the parousia. One meaning of the Lord's Supper would then be that of an enacted prayer by the disciples for the expansion and consummation of the covenant established by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

The Lord's Supper is rich with meaning. And this meaning, I have to admit, is worthy of consideration and so I stand corrected. - Ray

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Accordance

Michael Bird as One of the Church Fathers

You’re St. Melito of Sardis!

You have a great love of history and liturgy. You’re attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet you recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. You are loyal to the customs of your family, though you do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins.

Joel Willitts as One of the Church Fathers

You’re St. Justin Martyr!

You have a positive and hopeful attitude toward the world. You think that nature, history, and even the pagan philosophers were often guided by God in preparation for the Advent of the Christ. You find “seeds of the Word” in unexpected places. You’re patient and willing to explain the faith to unbelievers.